VA SHORE: A retirement for 'Sambo' Brown, the quintessential town police chief

Dec. 29, 2013

Cape Charles Police Chief Charles S. 'Sambo' Brown ponders a career in police work at his office on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. Brown will step down from his post at the end of the year. / Staff photo by Jay Diem

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Well-wishes from the law enforcement community for retiring Cape Charles Police Chief Sambo Brown. Sergeant Dave Eder, Town of Eastville: “I was honored and proud to have him as an officer, and even more proud and honored to call him my friend. I wish him the best.” Northampton County Sheriff David Doughty: “I would like to say that it has been a pleasure to work with Chief Brown. In a small area like the Eastern Shore it is essential for all the law enforcement agencies to work together to provide the best possible protection for the citizens. I would like to thank both Chief Brown and the Cape Charles Police Department for all the assistance they have provided to the Sheriff’s Office. From the staff at the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office we would like to wish Chief Brown the best of luck in his retirement.” Exmore Police Chief DiMartino: “He was always a team player, and delightful to be around. Everyone wishes him a a happy retirement, and I hope he gets to enjoy it.”

But it is an essential part of being a small-town police chief, Brown says.

“Anything you can think of in a city can happen here, and they expect you to answer,” said Brown, who retired at the end of December. “Not fix it, but to to respond and be there.”

“That’s why we excel in the public eye,” he said.

Brown, who gave up a seat on the Town Council to be join the police force and finished the police academy at an age when when most would consider retirement, was promoted to police chief in 2009 after an on-again, off-again career in law enforcement.

He started as a part-time officer in Cape Charles in the early 1990s, but the town lacked the funds to pay for his certification.

After a stint working at at Bayshore Concrete, during which he was an auxiliary deputy for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department, he was hired on full-time as a deputy sheriff —and completed the police academy— in 1996.

After four years, he left the sheriff’s department, “and stayed out of law enforcement” until 2001.

In the meantime, he was elected to Cape Charles Town Council, and Brown said he saw an opportunity to improve police services. He relinquished his seat to rejoin the small police force.

At age 60, Brown went back to the police academy and successfully completed the 17 weeks of training.

“They made me an example,” Brown laughed. Because it was his second time through, Brown knew how physically demanding the academy could be, so he was in top shape going in.

But the younger cadets had not prepared themselves.

The only problem: “They (the other officers) improved quickly, but I stayed about the same,” he chuckled.

Sgt. David Eder, now in Eastville, was chief of police in Cape Charles when Brown returned to the force in 2001. He said Brown never used his age as an excuse.

“He never wanted a break; he never asked for a break,” Eder said. “He graduated at the top of the (police) academy, a man in his 60s.”

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Just as officer training has changed over the years — expanding from six weeks in the 1990s to 17 weeks in 2001, Brown says public expectations of police officers have changed, too.

“Especially in a rural area, they are looked upon as someone to go to for help,” he said.

Eder recalls an humorous incident when Brown mounted a rescue for what was thought to be a Labrador retriever floating northward in a channel towards King’s Creek, near Cape Charles.

“He had quite the rescue operation in play,” said Eder, including coaxing the Coast Guard into sending out a rescue vessel.

As Eder was trying to get the dog into his binocular sights, he remembers Brown saying, “Chief, I don’t think you have to worry about it. He just blew over the fence.”

Though in that case the dog turned out to be a balloon, Eder said the level of concern, commitment, and determination to make a difference is typical of Brown.

Brown has seen it all — robbery, sexual assault, false reports, mental illness, suicide — and yet, he finds all of the work very rewarding.

“To help people — help the community — I’ve done it all my life,” he said. His 25-year record as an EMS first responder is a testament to his helping way.

“I don’t think the public understands the public service he has given. The lives he’s saved—people just don’t know,” said Eder.

Brown finds it especially gratifying to see the criminal justice system function properly.

“To investigate a case, make an arrest, and see the criminals successfully prosecuted through the system — that’s very rewarding,” he said.

Brown sees mental health as a major issue, estimating that 50-60 percent of calls are mental health-related.

“There is nothing to combat mental health problems,” he said.

At the time Brown gave this interview, officers were responding to the fourth call by the same individual within 72 hours; an individual Brown characterized as needing mental health services.

“Every time we have to go to the CSB (Community Services Board). There’s nothing we can do with them,” he said.

Asked for any parting advice for his successor, Brown thought for a moment.

“The person who takes this job has to be a person that understands he is a working chief,” said Brown. “Streets, crime scenes, administrative tasks: Everything your officers do, you do, too.”

Brown also believes it is essential for the police chief to be accessible to the public, and that means being an integral part of the community.

“The chief of police needs to be a resident of the Town of Cape Charles,” he said.

Brown says he will be around to help transition to a new chief — and beyond — if duty calls.